BILL NUMBER: SCR 7	CHAPTERED  05/18/99

	RESOLUTION CHAPTER   32
	FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE   MAY 18, 1999
	ADOPTED IN SENATE   MAY 13, 1999
	ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY   MAY 10, 1999
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY   MARCH 24, 1999

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Solis
   (Coauthors:  Senators Alpert, Baca, Bowen, Chesbro, Hayden,
Hughes, Johnston, Karnette, Ortiz, Polanco, Rainey, and Vasconcellos)

   (Coauthors:  Assembly Members Aroner, Bates, Corbett, Cox,
Cunneen, Davis, Firebaugh, Keeley, Knox, Leach, Machado, Mazzoni,
Robert Pacheco, Romero, Scott, Steinberg, Thompson, Washington, and
Zettel)

                        JANUARY 20, 1999

   Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 7--Relative to Domestic Violence
Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 7, Solis.  Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
   This measure would proclaim the month of October 1999 as Domestic
Violence Awareness Month.




   WHEREAS, Home should be a place of warmth, unconditional love,
tranquility, and security; however, for many Americans, home is
tainted with violence and fear; and
   WHEREAS, Domestic violence is much more than the occasional family
dispute; and
   WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Health and
Human Services, domestic violence is the single largest cause of
injury to American women, affecting 6,000,000 women of all racial,
cultural, and economic backgrounds; and
   WHEREAS, According to data published by the California Department
of Justice in 1996, 624 incidents of domestic violence were reported,
on average, every day in California.  According to the American
Psychological Association, nearly one in three adult women are
physically assaulted by a partner during adulthood; and
   WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Labor,
1,000,000 people are assaulted and injured every year as a result of
workplace violence, 1,000 people are killed every year due to
workplace violence, and 30 percent of battered women lose their jobs
due to harassment at work by abusive husbands or boyfriends; and
   WHEREAS, More than one-half of the number of women in need of
shelter from an abusive environment may be turned away from a shelter
due to lack of space; and
   WHEREAS, Women are not the only targets of domestic violence;
young children, elderly persons, and men are also victims in their
own homes; and
   WHEREAS, Emotional scars are often permanent; and
   WHEREAS, A coalition of organizations has emerged to confront this
crisis directly.  Law enforcement agencies, domestic violence
hotlines, battered women and children's shelters, health care
providers, churches, and the volunteers that serve those entities are
helping the effort to end domestic violence; and
   WHEREAS, It is important to recognize the compassion and
dedication of the individuals involved in that effort, applaud their
commitment, and increase public understanding of this significant
problem; and
   WHEREAS, The first Day of Unity was celebrated in October 1981 and
was sponsored by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
for the purpose of uniting battered women's advocates across the
nation in an effort to end domestic violence; and
   WHEREAS, That one day has grown into a month of activities at all
levels of government, aimed at creating awareness about the problem
and presenting solutions; and
   WHEREAS, The first Domestic Violence Awareness Month was
proclaimed in October 1987; now, therefore, be it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby proclaims the month
of October 1999, as Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy of this
resolution to the President of the United States, the Governor of
the State of California, the Director of the United States Department
of Health and Human Services, and to each Senator and Representative
from California in the Congress of the United States.
